Final EPA Standards for Heavy-Duty Vehicles to Slash Dangerous Pollution and Take Key Step Toward Accelerating Zero-Emissions Future

December 20, 2022

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(U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) Beginning in Model Year 2027, EPA’s Clean Trucks Plan will safeguard clean air for millions in communities overburdened by dangerous pollution -- Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized the strongest-ever national clean air standards to cut smog- and soot-forming emissions from heavy-duty trucks beginning with model year 2027. The new standards, which is the first update to clean air standards for heavy duty trucks in more than 20 years, are more than 80% stronger than current standards.

This final rulemaking is the latest step toward implementing the historic Clean Truck Plan, which is moving America’s highly polluting heavy-duty trucking fleet towards low-carbon and electric technologies. Additionally, historic investments from President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law are accelerating innovation in zero-emissions truck technology, expanding access to clean school and transit buses, and training workers to install and maintain charging infrastructure.

“EPA is taking significant action to protect public health, especially the health of 72 million people living near truck freight routes in America, including our most vulnerable populations in historically overburdened communities,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “But we’re not stopping there. This is just the first action under EPA’s Clean Trucks Plan to pave the way toward a zero-emission future. These rigorous standards, coupled with historic investments from the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will accelerate President Biden’s ambitious agenda to overhaul the nation’s trucking fleet, deliver cleaner air, and protect people and the planet.”

The final standards will reduce deadly smog and soot from new heavy-duty trucks starting with Model Year 2027. EPA estimates that by 2045, the rule will result in the following annual public health benefits:

Up to 2,900 fewer premature deaths
6,700 fewer hospital admissions and emergency department visits
18,000 fewer cases of childhood asthma
3.1 million fewer cases of asthma symptoms and allergic rhinitis symptoms
78,000 fewer lost days of work
1.1 million fewer lost school days for children
$29 billion in annual net benefits

Relative to current rules, the new standards are more than 80% stronger, increase useful life of governed vehicles by 1.5–2.5 times, and will yield emissions warranties that are 2.8–4.5 times longer. This final rule includes provisions for longer useful life and warranty periods. These provisions guarantee that as target vehicles age, they will continue to meet EPA’s more stringent emissions standards for a longer period of time. The rule also requires manufacturers to better ensure that vehicle engines and emission control systems work properly on the road. For example, manufacturers must demonstrate that engines are designed to prevent vehicle drivers from tampering with emission controls by limiting tamper-prone access to electronic pollution controls.

This rulemaking is based on a robust, complete technical record consistent with the authority set forth in the Clean Air Act. EPA engaged a wide variety of stakeholders, including impacted communities, Tribal, state and local governments, industry leaders, environmental organizations, environmental justice organizations, labor groups, and others to develop final standards that are as strong as possible, take effect as soon as possible and will last as long as possible.

Accelerating a Zero Emissions Future

Today’s announcement is the first of three major actions being taken under EPA’s Clean Trucks Plan. In the coming months, EPA intends to release the proposals for the remaining two steps in the Clean Trucks Plan. These include the proposed “Phase 3” greenhouse gas (GHG) standards for heavy-duty vehicles beginning in Model Year 2027, as well as the proposed multipollutant standards for light- and medium-duty vehicles beginning in Model Year 2027. These additional rulemakings will consider recent Congressional action, including historic resources for electrification from the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that EPA anticipates will lead to swift adoption of zero-emission vehicle technologies. Taken together, these rulemakings will put in place stringent long-term standards that will reduce dangerous smog, soot, and climate pollution from heavy-duty vehicles.

Now that the Agency has taken this final action on reducing NOx emissions nationally from Heavy-Duty trucks, EPA will complete the assessment of the technical and legal record before the Agency and prioritize issuing decisions on the three pending Heavy-Duty program waiver requests from the State of California in early 2023.

Learn more information on the Heavy-Duty NOx rule.

Learn more information on the rest of the Clean Trucks Plan. READ MORE

EPA enacts tougher pollution rule for trucks, vans and buses -- The new policy is designed to cut deadly air pollution. It is less stringent than California’s rules, disappointing some advocates. (Washington Post)

New EPA Rule for Heavy-Duty Trucks Drives the Next Chapter for Advanced Diesel Technology (Diesel Technology Forum)

Biden unveils stricter emissions rules for heavy-duty trucks (CNBC)

US EPA issues final rule on stricter emissions standards for heavy-duty vehicles (Biobased Diesel Daily)

EPA sets stricter smog rule for model year 2027 trucks (Bulk Transporter)

Excerpt from Diesel Technology Forum: The Diesel Technology Forum issued the following statement regarding the Environmental Protection Agency’s announcement of a final rule establishing future emissions standards for heavy-duty engines.

Executive Director Allen Schaeffer said, “Today’s final rule establishes the next chapter for advanced diesel engines; one that is even nearer to zero emissions and more durable than ever before. DTF members are the leaders in design and manufacture of engines, emissions controls, and key components that will deliver the benefits to communities and truckers this rule envisions. The rule establishes many new challenges for manufacturers and suppliers but also ensures diesel’s place in the future for trucking.

“The current generation new diesel trucks are more fuel-efficient and emit less than 1/60^th the emissions of 2000 models. They’re already near zero emission for both oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and particulate matter. Of all commercial trucks in operation today, 53% are of this newest generation, a number that has steadily grown since 2010.

“The current generation of emissions controls and engines design has delivered substantial climate and clean air benefits. From 2007-2020, this generation heavy-duty diesel vehicles reduced fuel consumption by nearly 20 billion gallons, prevented 202 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, and 27 million metric tons of nitrogen oxide emissions compared to previous generations of technology.

“The further improvements in diesel engines anticipated in the outcome of this final rule and the ability of truckers to invest in new trucks will be fundamental to ensuring progress toward meeting both local clean air and national climate goals. Without continued turnover in the fleet, older generations of technology with relatively higher emissions will stay in service longer, thereby delaying benefits to disadvantaged communities and contributing to worse air quality all around the country.

“This is underscored in a recent study which found that in the next 10 years three times more GHG reductions can be achieved by accelerating the turnover of older trucks to the newest generation of advanced diesel and utilizing low-carbon renewable biodiesel fuels as compared to an all-electric truck option.

“Just under half of registered commercial trucks operating today are an older generation; pre-2011 model year vehicles with relatively higher emissions without the benefit of particulate traps and/or selective catalytic reduction technology. The relative benefit of accelerating the turnover of these older trucks on the road today to newer technology will be enormous.”

About the Diesel Technology Forum

The Diesel Technology Forum is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness about the current and future role of diesel engines, equipment, and fuels. Forum members are leaders in advanced diesel technology, emissions controls, as well as petroleum-based and renewable biofuels. For more information visit http://www.dieselforum.org. READ MORE

Excerpt from Biobased Diesel Daily: Scott Fenwick, technical director for Clean Fuels Alliance America, told Biobased Diesel Daily that while the organization continues to digest the rulemaking, Clean Fuels is working with its partner OEMs to help answer any questions on performance for their engines with renewable fuels.

“We’ve known for some time that this final rule was imminent, but the details are always of concern,” Fenwick said. “We are confident that biomass-based diesel fuels, such as biodiesel and renewable diesel, will fit well into this and future rules from the EPA. Clean Fuels has been working closely with a number of vehicle and engine manufacturers over the past few years to help identify solutions for these proposed [and now final] new limits. In addition to reducing the allowable limits for emissions of nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and other pollutants, the full useful life and warranty periods to demonstrate compliance are also being extended. Engine manufacturers are evaluating extended durability, compatibility and new onboard-diagnostic solutions to help develop new and improved emissions devices that will ensure compliance with these new limits. The hope is to quickly make decisions on new designs and equipment that will be able to be put into production in the next several years.”

The ruling is one of three major actions being taken under EPA’s Clean Trucks Plan, under which the agency intends to propose two additional rulemakings in 2023 that, when considered cumulatively with this final rule, would put in place stringent long-term standards to “reduce smog, soot, and climate pollution from heavy-duty vehicles and would include consideration of greater adoption of zero-emissions vehicle technologies,” EPA stated.

EPA intends to release the proposals for the remaining two steps in the Clean Truck Plan by end of March. These include the Phase 3 proposal for heavy-duty greenhouse-gas (GHG) standards for model-years 2027 and later, and the multipollutant standards proposal for light- and medium-duty vehicles for model-years 2027 and later.

“Biodiesel and renewable diesel help offer benefits with lower particulate matter and other emissions that will help reduce the burden on emissions-aftertreatment hardware while providing greater than 50 percent reductions in greenhouse-gas emissions as advanced biofuels,” Fenwick said. “Although compliance for heavy-duty vehicles will certainly be dependent upon new-vehicle sales with new technologies, low-carbon renewable fuels will continue to play a part, with potentially growing implications, as the U.S. looks toward decarbonizing the transportation sector while maintaining the economy with the movement of goods and services via heavy-duty trucks.”

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The final rule issued Dec. 20 does not include final action regarding the proposed targeted updates to the existing heavy-duty GHG emissions Phase 2 program. “We intend to consider potential changes to certain heavy-duty GHG Phase 2 standards as part of the Phase 3 GHG rulemaking,” the agency stated.

EPA also intends to issue final decisions in early 2023 regarding several California waiver requests for California’s heavy-duty vehicle and engine emission standards.

To read the final rule, click here. READ MORE